…Let's take a look at how to apply compression…to a single note, using it to draw out…the attack or sustain of a signal and letting…that note punch through dense musical sections of the mix.…This type of compression is often referred…to as envelope shaping or transient shaping.…A shape of a note's waveform is called its envelope.…The envelope describes how a note evolves over time.…Think of envelope as the trip a…signal's wave form takes from initial development through…final decay.…Let's take a look at a snare drum note's envelope.…We start with a sharp transient, this is referred to as the attack.…

This sharp transient is followed by a brief sustained…and final release period as the sound dies out.…Because a compressor reacts to a signal's amplitude as it changes over time,…we can use compression to play with the shape of a signal's envelope.…Listen to the snare drum without any compression, pay…attention to the sound of the attack and release.…Now listen to the same same snare with compression…applied and listen for how the sound has changed.…

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Author

Updated

1/10/2014

Released

12/22/2011

In this first installment of the Foundations of Audio series, author Brian Lee White shows how to improve the sound of a mix with compressors, limiters, gates, de-essers, and other dynamic processors. The course explains the fundamentals of sound waves, and amplitude, explores common compressor controls, and shows how to eliminate unwanted noise using gates and expanders. The course also demonstrates best practices in compression and limiting in a variety of audio applications and covers sculpting the attack and decay of individual notes with transient shapers and applying frequency specific dynamics control with multiband compressors. Exercise files accompany the course and include special Get in the Mix session files.

Topics include:

Measuring amplitude

Understanding dynamic range

Introducing compressors

Utilizing compression ratios

Applying attack and release

Evening out a vocal performance with compression

Adding punch and sustain to drums

Using compression presets intelligently

How to record with compression

Solving common mix problems with limiters

De-essing a vocal track

Using gates and expanders

Controlling frequency content with multiband compressors

Using sidechains creatively

Keying gates and compressors

Fixing overcompressed tracks

Using mixbus compression

Working with parallel compression

Compression and limiting best practices

Skill Level Appropriate for all

2h 25m

Duration

772,022

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Q: This course was updated on 1/10/2014. What changed?

A: The Get in the Mix videos have been
updated to the most recent version of Pro Tools. Also, the course now
includes free Get in the Mix sessions for two more DAWs: Logic Pro X and Pro
Tools 11.